January 6 – Ayr – Out Of The Woods – 62

Not too many above-average bumpers to speak about so far this season, certainly not based on times, but this concluding contest at the Scottish venue bucked the trend in no uncertain terms. The previously raced Kavlar ensured there was no hanging around in the early stages and that strong pace continued all the way down the back straight in turning for home and it was from that point where Lucinda Russell’s inmate began to make his move. Staying on extremely strongly inside the final half a mile, the son of Ectot powered on all the way to the line and with the field strung out in behind, his performance was as a good on the clock as it was visually. Considering he was sent off at 16-1 and was very much the second string of the stable, it’s fair to suggest there could be quite a bit of improvement to come and he is one to keep on side next time out when contesting a similar event up north. Promising.

January 11 – Fairyhouse – Sixandahalf – 63

It wasn’t soon after the tapes went up when the cream rose to the top in this mares’ maiden hurdle and the pace was decent through the first mile, which suited Gavin Cromwell’s useful Flat performer. Once cruising into the lead rounding the home turn, the race was as good as over and she only had to be nudged out to record a facile success. The feature of her performance, not withstanding the useful time figure, was her pin-point accurate jumping and she already looks Cheltenham festival material even off the abck of just one run over hurdles.

January 11 – Fairyhouse – The King Of Prs – 70

A competitive renewal of the Dan Moore and it produced a clean sweep for Gavin Cromwell, training the first three home. The winner was the best backed of the trio so it hardly came as a surprise and his previous form also suggested he was ready to make an impact in one of these big handicaps. A strong traveller with the ability to see out a well run race over two miles, one would imagine he will head to the DRF before receiving an entry for the Grand Annual at the Cheltenham festival. The third, Midnight It Is, could never land a blow at the main players having lost his position down the back straight but he too, comes into the conversation for the latter named race based on his display.

January 11 – Ffos Las – Up For Parol – 66

A keenly contested affair run at a solid clip and Jamie Snowden’s inmate took advantage of a well thought out ride by Gavin Sheehan. Exploiting a tight line around the inside, the Irishman clearly spotted a strip of ground unused and less poached than all his rivals and that tactic certainly paid off in the long run. Given the way his mount stayed on powerfully in the latter stages, it may not have made too much difference to the end result but either way, it wouldn’t be the first time Sheehan has nicked a race against the head and it’s that thinking outside the box that has seen him catapult himself towards the top of the top five of the leading riders championship.

January 12 – Punchestown – Ney – 63

Lecky Watson (64) posted another reasonable time in doing what was required to land a Grade 3 in race two on the card but based on the data, the opening beginners chase was worth noting for the future. Not a particularly strong looking race of its kind on paper beforehand, it turned out to actually be run at a decent clip thanks to the exploits of Brucejack and Edward Buckley’s impressed with the way he travelled throughout. Picking up the running in between the final two fences, another good jump sealed the deal and even though he was eased down on the run-in, he still managed to post a slightly quicker final circuit time than Willie Mullins’ potentially top class novice (3.21 4 compared to 3.21.5). Considering the runner-up is only rated 110, the seven-year-old shouldn’t get too heavily penalised by the assessor and he deserves to be followed accordingly over fences.